Pizarro returns to Munich hoping to set Bremen record
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - Claudio Pizarro has been around long enough in the Bundesliga to remember Werder Bremen's last win against Bayern Munich, in 2008.
Pizarro returns to Munich on Saturday with Werder Bremen, hoping to become the club's top scorer in Bundesliga history. The Peru striker needs one goal to tie Marco Bode's record of 101.
"I think I can do it," said Pizarro, who has played and scored for both Bremen and Bayern. "There are enough matches until the end."
Pizarro began his Bundesliga career in 1999 with Bremen. In 2001, he moved to Bayern, then to Chelsea in 2007, only to return to Bremen in 2008, first on loan and then on a permanent deal. He returned to Bayern in 2012 and was released after the last season. He went back to Bremen and now, at 37, Pizarro is Werder's lifeline.
He has scored five goals in his last three matches, including a hat trick against Bayer Leverkusen. With nine goals in eight matches since the Christmas break, Pizarro is the biggest factor in Werder's escape from the relegation zone.
In last Saturday's 4-1 win over Hannover, Pizarro scored a memorable goal. He flicked the ball with his right foot over his body, shaking off three Hannover players in the process, and then drove home with a left-foot volley.
"Any other 37-year-old would have torn a muscle," said Werder captain Clemens Fritz. "It's fantastic what he's doing. He's incredibly important for us."
With such a prolific scorer as Robert Lewandowski in its ranks, Bayern did not extend Pizarro's contract at the end of last season.
"It's a pity, we could have still used him," Bayern winger Arjen Robben said this week.
An unfit Pizarro struggled at the start of the season but now he has hit form.
"He was two months behind, but he is now in his best shape," Werder's coach Viktor Skripnik said. "He's the first one in and the last one out" in training, according to the coach. "It's crazy what he's doing for us."
"You have to cover him all the time, you can't allow him any space," Bayern defender Rafinha said.
Pizarro already holds some Bundesliga records. He has the most matches for a foreign player, 405, and the most goals, 187 (100 for Bremen, 87 for Bayern).
He won the Bundesliga title six times with Bayern, the German Cup five times and was also a Champions League winner.
With Bayern already looking at the Champions League home leg against Juventus on Wednesday, Werder thinks it may have a chance in Munich, although it has lost 10 straight to Bayern while conceding 21 goals in the last four matches in Munich.
"The idea is to pick up something," Pizarro said.
Here are some things to know about the Bundesliga weekend:
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DORTMUND DISTRACTION
Borussia Dortmund failed to cut Bayern's five-point lead when the two drew 0-0 last Saturday and it faces a possible distraction ahead of its match with surging Mainz with midfielder Ilkay Gundogan reportedly a target for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola, who is leaving Bayern to take over Manchester City next season, met with City's director Txiki Begiristain and Gundogans's uncle and agent earlier in the week in Amsterdam.
Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel was relaxed about the news. "That's part of the business. We make plans for our squad next season and we talk to agents," Tuchel said.
But the drain of high-profile players could become a problem for Dortmund, which has not always found the right replacements.
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SCHALKE'S CLIMB
With two consecutive wins, Schalke has come within a point of third-place Hertha Berlin, the surprise team so far.
If Schalke wins on Friday at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, it will move past Hertha into a direct Champions League berth.
"We want to build up on our recent successes," Schalke coach Andre Breitenreiter said.
Schalke will be without forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has a pelvic injury.
Hertha is winless in its 14 last matches against Schalke.
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NEW COACH, NEW LUCK?
After going seven matches without a win and dropping to the relegation zone, Eintracht Frankfurt sacked Armin Veh and brought in former Croatia coach Niko Kovac as his replacement.
Kovac had a long playing career in the Bundesliga but he is a novice as coach. He took Croatia to the World Cup in Brazil but the team played below expectations. He was fired when Croatia's qualification for this summer's European Championship in France was in doubt.
Frankfurt's biggest problem ahead of its visit to Borussia Moenchengladbach is the nagging knee injury to the club's leading scorer Alexander Meier, who is not available.